Diana P.

Verified review

We used Cazadores for our Startup Weekend. We reserved three meals: a lunch, and two dinners. The Indian buffet was delicious! It catered our vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore needs! Everyone raved about the Indian food! We also received a Mexican taco dinner. Similarly, Evan and his team grilled the meat and had hot tacos with all the fixings! There was even churros filled with caramel and vanilla custard! Bomb!!! Everyone also enjoyed the Chinese food. It was hard to resist!

Ren S.

Verified review

We received excellent service from A Plus Catering. The food arrived on time, was tasty, and everything went as planned. I would recommend them for any event. Very professional, friendly and affordable.

Mel W.

Verified review

Debbie was a pleasure to work with. Not only is she very professional but she is an amazing chef. We ordered the BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken and Polenta cakes for the vegetarians. Everyone commented on good the food was. You have to try the baked beans as well. They were soooo good!
When we got there the table cloth was set, the food was in warmers, and she was great about the clean-up as well. I would definitely hire her again for the next party.

Thumbtack Customer

Verified review

I had a great experience with hiring Kitchenina as our caterers for an event with 40 people. The communication was always prompt, polite and friendly. They did a great job on the day of the event to ensure that the food was delivered on time (despite the traffic/weather conditions) and made my job as the event organizer much easier.
I would definitely work with Kitchenina again in the future, and regret that I did not take photos of the food! (Thanks for the brownies as well!)

Laura K.

Verified review

Deborah helped us with a brunch for 30+ people at our home. We selected vegetarian and nonvegetarian frittatas which is a fantastic dish to serve buffet style along with potatoes and her most excellent granola, cinnamon rolls, zucchini bread, and a special baked french toast with berries dish. She was very responsive to all of my questions and made great suggestions. She was punctual on the delivery (no stress for the hostess). Meeting Deborah was also a fun experience.

Allie C.

Verified review

I really enjoyed working with Chet. He took the time to really go over the menu with me and made suggestions depending on what type of event I wanted to host. He was great at communicating and made sure I got everything that I needed. Our guests really enjoyed the food, I got questions about the caterer the whole night, and the presentation was great. :)

Niranjan S.

Verified review

This was our first time having a chef for a house party with ~15 guests, and I highly recommend Graceful Kitchen! Chef Grace was able to accommodate our request for vegetarian food, and presented us with several good choices. She was there ahead of time, and the food, esp. the pasta, received good feedback from everyone that attended. I will use Graceful Kitchen again for future events.

Lesley C.

Verified review

Daniella made our July 4th celebration the best yet! Her delectable menu choices were just perfect for the occasion. Everything was so beautifully and appetizingly displayed, and most importantly...every dish was delicious! Looking forward to our next celebration......DaniBensimon Catering will be our caterer of choice from now on!

Roger W.

Verified review

This caterer prepared lunch for 30 people on Memorial Day for us. We found them on Thumbtack and we’re glad we went with them! Everything was as expected or better! First of all, their smoked ribs were AMAZING. Everything else (chicken skewers-very tender, deviled eggs with smoked bacon, garlic and honey meatballs, grilled corn, vegan pasta salad, arugula salad) was delicious as well. Everyone should add their Bourbon Banana Pudding for dessert, because it was so good! I love Paul Martin's banana cream pie, but this pudding was even better! I would definitely go back to them again. Too bad I forgot to take some photos!! And yes, they are very professional. Just tell Matt what you are looking for and he'll come up with a menu for you. Easy!

Tamra B.

Verified review

Rose was amazing! She promptly respnded to all my emails and communicated flawlessly. She provided all the staff needed for our wedding and customized our menu for our dietary restrictions. We met with many caterers and she was the best value and most friendly. All of the staff working with her were very friendly and professional. The food was amazing. Evertthing was cooked to perfection, looked beautiful and tasted delicious. I don't think it could have gone any better and I highly reccomend her for any occassion! Thanks again Rose!!!!!

Christine H.

Verified review

Angela made our family a dinner. We are not gluten free or vegetarian normally, so it's an endorsement when our kids eat vegetarian. We had a cauliflower soup, a couple of different vegetarian items like stuffed mushrooms for the main meal and several dessert items. It was all delicious, but the things that were especially amazing were the fresh tomatoe tarts (gluten free-couldn't tell) and these strawberry and cream tartlets (different crust from the tomato.) We left the table fat and happy! I have also had her cream filled chocolate cupcakes on another occasion which were also spectacular.

Susan S.

Verified review

Lucas catered a birthday dinner for a rowdy group of ladies celebrating a birthday, and everything about the experience was great! From initial communication, working out the details (including menu changes at our request), logistics (our party was in a hotel, we were late to the meeting time, etc. but all handled with ease), and of course the food - which was delicious and beautifully presented. Would hire Lucas again in a heartbeat. Thanks again!!

Te C.

Verified review

I hired Basic Catering for a dinner party. We had salmon and chicken breasts with asparagus and a variety of salads. The food was amazing and the presentation was beautiful. Will definitely order from them again.

Ben A.

Verified review

Dennis and his crew were fantastic! The whole ordering process was super smooth and the food was delicious! Would highly recommend Liberation for any event that needs great good, good price, and a totally hassle free experience!

Joan S.

Verified review

Avocado and Company delivered delicious and gorgeous food and was an absolute pleasure to work with. They catered our wedding this September at The Green Room and it was perfect. I have celiac disease and was nervous about finding a caterer who not only would provide a tasty gluten free menu, but also cared enough to adhere to my strict requirements to avoid cross contamination. We emailed many high end caterers, and each time got response ranging from "no we cannot do a gluten free wedding" to "we can do gluten free food but we are not sure about preventing contamination". Johnny at Avocado & Company immediately responded that they understood exactly what we needed, and had experience catering gluten free events for celiac guests.
We had a cocktail style party for 120 guests we are big foodies and eat mostly local, organic food. The style and quality of dishes felt like eating in your favorite local restaurant. Our venue was atypical, being a Victorian townhouse with multiple floors and Johnny walked us through every step, assuring us they could deliver the perfect evening. We crafted a gorgeous menu with him, the we were so pleased with. The whole experience from our initial meeting to the wedding was fantastic, Johnny even took time to give us tips on wedding planning which was well beyond her role as our catering vendor. Our favorite part was the tasting where we actually had time to try all of the amazing food and have a fun evening with their team! The wedding exceeded our expectations, the food and cocktails were perfect, and Johnny and his team handled everything seamlessly throughout the evening. Our guests were blown away and we could not be happier to have worked with Avocado & Company. We look forward to using them for future events.

Q & A

Reviews, interviews and menu tastings will help you find the right catering choice for your big day. Start by screening possible wedding caterers based on past reviews. If a caterer you are interested in has a review that concerns you, ask them about it; how they respond will be very telling. Next, ask about their availability for your wedding date.

If the wedding caterer is available on your date, it’s time to talk about menus and prices. Be clear about what your maximum budget is find out what choices this will allow you. Caterers may custom-create a menu for your event, or they may have menu templates within different price ranges that can guide your decision. A clear budget gives the caterer clear parameters within which to work and offer creative suggestions. Schedule a menu tasting to confirm you love your wedding menu. Once you have a menu and date, and have paid a deposit to reserve the caterer’s services, confirm additional details including when the food will be delivered to the site, what kind of service will be provided, how many servers will be onsite and for how long, and who is responsible for setup and cleanup. The more specific your contract, the fewer worries you’ll have on your wedding day. Get more smart hiring tips here.

Wedding catering costs will always vary based on the number of guests you’re inviting, the menu you want to serve, and the way the food will be served to your guests. As you interview wedding catering companies, you’ll be presented with a cost per person for various menus. On the low end, wedding catering may cost approximately $15-$18 per person. This would include prepared food only, with no setup or service of any kind. The starting price for a simple buffet meal with minimal service typically averages $22 per person. Opting for the same menu with all organic ingredients could raise your costs to about $33 per person. A moderately upscale menu (finer ingredients, more elaborate presentation) could range from $24 to $34 per person. High-end wedding catering cost truly has no limit. Lobster, filet mignon, specialty seafood, organic ingredients — menu choices like these can boost your cost per person up to $150 and more.

The cost of wedding catering will reflect the level of service, the menu you choose, the luxury you desire and the number of guests you invite. Where you live also plays a major role in your wedding catering costs. The regional cost to do business and local cost of food will affect your catering bill. There is no set price for wedding catering, because each wedding and each menu is different. This is why many caterers provide a per-person price. This allows you to break down what it costs to feed each person based on the menu you want. Working with your caterer, you can adjust menu items, service level and more to accommodate your budget and guest count. Keep in mind that wedding catering costs are not just for the food. The bill reflects all the components that go into commercial food catering: a commercial kitchen, ingredients, staff, insurance, marketing and more. Here are some examples of average costs:

Three-course plated meal, moderately upscale, for 125 in Los Angeles: $14,000. Because of staffing costs, a true plated meal costs about twice as much as a staff-assisted buffet.

Food service at your wedding will affect your catering costs and influence the atmosphere of the reception. Buffet style is more informal; plated meals are a bit fancier; family style encourages sharing. Read about the different food service styles to select your preferred wedding catering choice.

Buffet: Caterers can drop off prepared foods for a DIY and budget-friendly buffet option where you set everything up and food is entirely self-service. For a fuller-service buffet, the caterers set up food, oversee the buffet throughout the event, and clean up afterwards. For food only, prices per person might average $16-$18, while a service buffet may start around $20-$22 per person. Adding food stations can increase per-person costs by at least $3-$5.

Family style: Servers bring large platters of food to guest tables in courses. It’s less formal (and less expensive) than a plated meal, but more formal and higher-cost than a buffet. You’ll need large tables to accommodate the platters, so plan accordingly when renting furniture for the event.

Plated: A plated event is a formal dining experience; waitstaff serve your seated guests for each course, fill their drinks, and attend to them throughout the dinner. A plated dinner is typically the most expensive option for both food and service.

Food trucks: Similar to buffets, with food trucks your guests get their own food and bring it to their table. A food truck gives a relaxed and playful vibe to your reception.

Cocktail reception: If you don’t want a formal seated dinner, you can opt for a wide assortment of passed appetizers at an extended cocktail hour reception.